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Housing

Connection, Commerce, Leisure, Light: Housing at Highbridge Park

Highbridge Park is defined by Washington Height’s Amsterdam Avenue to the west and the Harlem River to the east. With its dramatic elevation changes and highway interruption, the park is full of awkward fenced boundaries and disjointed spaces. The spaghetti junction of I-95 renders green space unusable. If green space is edged by residences, the park will function more like Central Park and less as leftover space. This proposal bridges the ramp and boulders to connect the street, existing paths, and ‘leftover’ spaces.

St. Nicholas Avenue is a vibrant nearby street with sidewalks crowded with vendors selling everything from empanadas to lingerie. This project aims to extend the pedestrian market to the park as a boardwalk system in a less polluted locale. The housing acts as an extrusion of this boardwalk, which also performs in section with public program adjacent to vertical circulation.

The exterior aims to improve health of occupants and park goers by maximizing and controlling light and ventilation as well as improving air quality by the outermost skin of pollution absorbing cement. This housing proposal serves the park and community by enhancing safety, accessibility, air quality, and commerce.